(Updates to midmorning)
TOKYO, May 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average slid
0.9 percent on Wednesday as Toyota Motor Co <7203.T> and other
exporters were sold on the yen's gains against the dollar, with
additional downward pressure from chip-related shares after their
U.S. peers slumped.
Banks slid a day after Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
<8306.T>, Japan's largest bank, forecast virtually no growth this
year, though it posted a 71 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit
as a turnaround in its consumer credit unit helped offset
subprime losses. [ID:nT5934]
But resource-related shares clawed higher after oil hit a
record near $130 a barrel, with oil and gas field developer Inpex
Holdings Inc <1605.T> rising 1.4 percent.
Some traders said the Tokyo market was hurt by oil prices and
inflation concerns, which beat Wall Street lower on Tuesday after
the U.S. Producer Price Index rose more than expected.
But others were unsure.
"Certainly high oil prices are a concern, but inflation isn't
something that just started yesterday. I think it's simply being
used as a reason to justify profit-taking after recent rises,"
said Nagayuki Yamagishi, a strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ
Securities.
"Worry about the unknown is increasing, though, with a number
of U.S. indicators due out next week."
The Nikkei <.N225> was at 14,029.37 after shedding 130.72
points. The broader Topix <.TOPX> was down 1.4 percent at
1,380.60.
The dollar steadied after falling on Tuesday, and was trading
around 103.54 yen, weighing on exporters. A stronger yen means
Japanese goods are less competitive overseas and eats into their
profits when brought back home.
Canon Inc <7751.T> slipped 2.5 percent to 5,520 yen, while
Toyota fell 2.4 percent to 5,300 yen and fellow automaker Honda
Motor Co <7267.T> fell 1.8 percent to 3,360 yen.
Chip-related shares were also vulnerable after their U.S.
peers stumbled on Tuesday, with the Philadelphia semiconductor
index <.SOXX> down 2.8 percent.
Advantest Corp <6857.T> fell 3.3 percent to 2,655 yen, while
Kyocera Corp <6971.T> was down 1.0 percent to 9,930 yen and TDK
Corp <6762.T> fell 0.9 to 6,980 yen.
Banks dropped, with Mitsubishi UFJ down 3.6 percent to 1,017
yen, while No. 2 bank Mizuho Financial Group slid 2.8 percent to
526,000 yen and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group <8316.T> fell 2.8
percent to 835,000 yen.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
(([email protected]; +81 3 6441 1807; Reuters
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